A man tried to copy John Darwin's 'canoe stunt' - after faking his death in Honduras.
The scheming real life story of John and Anne Darwin's fraudulent claim on his life insurance by faking his death using a canoe has been brought back to prominence with new ITV drama, The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe.
And with the new drama now on screens, the story of a 'copycat' - a man named Anthony McErlean - has surfaced, as he claimed he had been killed by a cabbage truck in a huge dramatic ploy to claim £520,000 on his insurance.
After a suggestion from a friend, Anthony decided to fake his death in Honduras - where he was living with his then-wife, as he plotted a way he could secure the huge pay-out by convincing authorities and the insurance company he had died.
In January 2010, the documents were submitted to an insurance company in Glasgow, Scotland, claiming Anthony had died after being knocked down by a cabbage truck as he changed a wheel at the side of the road in Honduras.
His 'friend', Ronald F Lodge, explained how the disaster allegedly struck in December 2009, as the pal explained: "Anthony offered to change the wheel as he was worried about missing the dawn. I heard a truck approaching but took no notice as this road has farm vehicles using it. I felt a violent bang, the car moved towards me and off the jack."
"The truck carried on without stopping. I could see Anthony lying in the road about five yards further on. He was completely still, and appeared badly damaged. It looked as if the rear wheels of the truck had gone over him. I was in a panic."
He added: "I tried to use my cell phone to call for assistance, but had no signal. I went back to Anthony but it was quite clear he had been killed by the truck. They seemed quite non-plussed with the situation, and carried the body into their truck.
"We then proceeded to Santa Rosa De Aguan, a small village on the banks of the river Aguan. Local people took care of the body. I was able to return to Trujillo and to tell Mrs McErlean what had happened."
However, when the documents dropped, the insurance firm were suspicious and alarm bells soon started ringing again as they were unable to retrieve the man's passport. The police then moved in to investigate, whilst at this time the man ended up back in UK, staying in Petham, Canterbury four months after he had supposedly 'passed away'.
It wasn't until March 2011 when the fraud squad got involved, and he was arrested and questioned. He was also rumbled as his fingerprints were discovered on his own death certificate.
The man pleaded not guilty but was convicted by a jury and jailed for five years. His wife Sonya was initially arrested after the fake death, but was released without charge and returned to Honduras.
